Trojan horse (computing)

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For the original from Greek mythology, see Trojan Horse.

A trojan horse (Sometimes called a trojan) is a special computer program. Trojan horses are programs that pretend to do a certain thing, but in reality they do something else, such as allow a stranger to access the computer and change it and read its information. In some cases the user notices, in other cases they do not. Spyware programs are current examples of programs that work in that way.

It is rare to get a trojan on your computer by merely visiting a website, though it can happen. Usually, though, a trojan is attached to something you download. Usually they attach themselves to music, wallpapers, backgrounds, games, and especially executable files (.exe) so on.

It was named after the Trojan Horse in Greek mythology.